My dad has this picture of me from when I was little... I must have been 4 or 5-years old, in my grandparents greenhouse, sitting on a little wood stool in front of an old, deep, metal bucket filled with potting soil. I have twin braids in my hair, a sprinkling of freckles across my sunburned nose, and the biggest, happiest smile on my face. This is my dad's favorite picture...it even hangs in his kitchen, and he gave me a framed copy of it that hangs in my hallway upstairs. When things seem a little tough, this is a picture I have often looked at and said to myself "that is you; you can be that girl again". It is yet another reminder that sometimes simple can be best... a running theme I am always working on remembering.
Speaking of keeping that in mind... this past weekend was our annual family camping trip. Each year, my dad and step-mom choose a place for our entire family to camp for a long weekend. Because we all have families and live all over, it is our one chance each year to get together and really have some good time to catch up with each other. This year we were really excited because my sister came home from Boston with her one-year old son to join our little expedition...
In theory, this was going to be the best fun ever... all weekend for the kids to play with each other, the adults to get some time to rest and relax, all while enjoying nature. Now those who know me well will say that I don't come off as a very "outdoorsy" kind of girl...and really, I'm not. But for my dad and step-mom, I will gladly pretend that I am...for one weekend each year, that is.
So, now the reality... The weather gods must not have heard about our plans... Friday we did get to the campground and setup prior to the rain starting... it just kept right on raining, however, for most of the evening. It did finally stop long enough for a campfire, which I didn't get much chance to enjoy because it was way past O's bedtime, and I hoped to get her to sleep so that she was ready for a full day Sat. But, a 7x7 tent with two toddlers and two adult women turns out not to be the ideal recipe for sleep. This became especially clear at 2:30am when O had a little accident that resulted in me trying to not awaken my sister and nephew while using paper towels and baby wipes to clean up the mess. Not much sleep going on...
Saturday, the weather finally cleared before lunch, and we had the chance to take the kids to the beach, and then to the pool for a full afternoon of swimming. They were thrilled! I was just so glad to be dry and to finally have a chance to shower while O napped, that I hardly knew what to do with myself. Sat night we went from sleeping in a wet tent, to sleeping in a very hot, humid, damp tent... this time O and I were on our own, as my sister and nephew joined the crew in the camper. Night two, no puddles to clean in the middle of the night, but not much sleeping going on...again.
Sunday morning was beautiful... we could finally sit at the picnic table that had dried out overnight, had breakfast, then took the kids to the pool for one last swim before packing our things up. The packing up went smoothly, and we actually managed to get everything ready to go...right before it started to rain and storm again. Made for an interesting ride home, but at least we were in a dry, temperature controlled car for the ride home.
All of this adds up to a less than ideal weekend... But, here is what I choose to remember...here is my list of the good things: The two-hours of uninterrupted conversation my sister and I had on the way to the campground while the kids slept the whole way; O and the heart sticker she put in the perfect place; those chocolate chip pancakes only Papa can make; baby A's "uh oh" at all the right times; the pure comedy of trying to find the lost car keys, in the dark, following cleanup from the peeing incident; Uncle Jay launching Nate in the pool a million times; O being so proud of jumping into the pool on her own and without fear; Aunt Candy taking O for a shower; Papa's birthday shirt surprise; O and Aunt Angie playing bean bag toss; Andrew, playing with the "big boys"; s'mores cooked just right; Dad and Sue just so happy to have us there, together...
So, like the girl in the greenhouse, just happy to play in the dirt, I am going to remember that the simplest things were the best parts of the weekend... And before you know it, it will be time for our next family camping adventure! I just have to get all the gear dried out before then...
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